True blue Ian to be voice of Pompey’s local businesses

Rory McKeown

Genius who studied in Havant is off to Oxford University with five A and A*s under his belt

HE IS the businessman representing Pompey’s small creditors alongside the big hitters.

Ian Fields, who runs Havant construction firm Genisis 1, has put himself forward to be an integral cog in the club’s administration process.

He will appear on the creditors’ committee as a voice for small creditors and local businesses still owed cash following the club’s latest administration.

Mr Fields will rub shoulders with representatives from the Professional Footballers’ Association, which is claiming £26m for past and future payments, Balram Chainrai’s firm Portpin, owed £18m, Pompey’s former parent company Convers Sports Initiatives, which is owed £10.6m, HMRC and the liquidators of Portsmouth City Football Club.

The drama unfolded last week as the lifelong Blues fan stood up at the creditors’ committee meeting held by administrator Trevor Birch, and urged PKF – the club’s administrators – to include him in the group.

He says his firm is owed around £106,000 for essential ground management work on match days and refurbishment projects at Fratton Park.

Mr Fields said: ‘I think there needs to be some transparency about what goes on behind closed doors.

‘They need to be a lot more open about the future of the club.

‘Our business has lost a substantial amount of money in our terms but at the end of the day we have to accept that.

‘I spoke to a guy who’s a £600 creditor and I think some of the creditors forget that £600 to that person is a large amount of money.

‘If we only lost £600 I would have been delighted – but that’s not the case.

‘I will make sure the interests of the small businesses are given as much time as everyone else’s.’

He will keep local creditors updated throughout the committee process via his firm’s website, which can be found at genisis1.co.uk/pfc